21 December 2013 to 31 January 2014
Approach Began: 20 November 2013
Shadow Ends: 04 March 2014
While the very word “retrograde” scares the average star follower, bear in mind, Venus, our planet of love, harmony, beauty and luxury hasn’t taken a real vacation since June of 2012 when she was evening the score in Gemini.  For the next few weeks as our Sun transits in Capricorn and Aquarius, Venus will be resting up once more. Even though we aren’t as warned to watch out for zaniness as we are under such inner planetary reflection as Mercury and Mars request of us- a Venus Retrograde brings us to a deeper sense of what we value within our lives, what’s it all really worth and how we truly relate to it all.

What To Reflect Upon Under Venus Retrograde
One of the Zodiac’s benefic and inner planets, Venus’s influence grants gentleness, ease, and strength wherever her graceful energy is currently visiting within the Zodiac Pie. As she decides to not “look where she is going,” the collective can expect the natural benefits of her energies to be up for review.

Venus affects the collective’s values- as well as our earning potential, money, romance, and our ability to tap into the feminine. Beauty enhancements are off limits, for Venus while backtracking will, for example, probably turn original brown intended hair color into orange by “accident.” Relationships, especially new ones, should be carefully monitored over this time. Beginning a new romance or a marriage are not particularly favored courses of action. However, this a prominent time when old love affairs and people you once knew return: so have fun remembering, or realize why they aren’t an active part of your life anymore!

Wonderful Ways To Appreciate Venus Retrograde
BE charitable with money.
WATCH over-spending.
AVOID buying luxurious items, moving money to increase its’ value, renovating the home, or any kind of beauty enhancement.
DO scoop up any bargains! THIS is totally Venus Rx approved!
BE GRATEFUL for what you already own and who you already know.
REASSESS what is worthy of appreciation: keep it or toss it!
REFLECT upon all your present relationships, business or personal.
EMBRACE falling in love all over again- or let it GO!
VISIT ART! Whether at a museum, gallery, performance, or through nature, Venus enhances our appreciation and understanding of it at this time, and while in Capricorn the older, the better.
REVISIT old creative adventures and reflect upon ways to improve them.

Where To Responsibly Reflect: 28 degrees to 13 degrees Capricorn
This is the specific area of our Zodiac Pie that will be calling for a passage of reflection and review. Collectively, this retreat within The Goat specifies that we take a slower and patient pace here, and dive into what this sign requests when it comes to developing our self-reliance and eliminating our unwanted restrictions. The calling for constant, sincere, protective and challenging affections ask for necessary attention, so that we can recognize all the ways improvements can be brought into our awareness.

From the collective perspective, the simplicity of knowing your sun sign is a great place to start while we all take up in value-oriented review. Here is one area of life where you are best to focus, taking time in retreat- to admire, weight the pros and cons, and then eliminate what is not worth the effort any longer. Equally, there is another area of life you are also asked for reflection within by knowing your Rising Sign/Ascendant, as the time of your birth provides this detail. Yet, we do always advise, have a professional astrologer do your math for you -i.e if your ASC is placed in the later degrees of any given sign, you’ll typically want to read for the sign after your ASC- for complete accuracy.

Aries: I Structure Career/Public Life/Opportunities

Taurus: I Believe Philosophies/Foreign Travel/Education

Gemini: I Transform Core Regeneration/Sexuality/Wealth

Cancer: I Relate Partnerships/Marriage/Balance with Others

Leo: I Serve Health/Being of Service/Employees/Pets

Virgo: I Create Creativity/Children/Love Affairs

Libra: I Nurture Home/Family/Emotions/Environments

Scorpio: I Communicate Thinking/Mentality/Communications

Sagittarius: I Have Values/Earning Power/Possessions

Capricorn: I Am Approaches/Mask to the World/Motivations

Aquarius: I Process Inner Psyche/Clearing of the Past

Pisces: I Socialize Innovations/Friendships/Organizations

Take these personalized areas of the life and see where you are asked to reflect upon Venus’s backwards journey. Releasing at this time what is no longer of value to you or seemingly worth it from the particular area of life that Venus Retrograde is calling for your review, is extremely favored.

We will stress again to remember no matter what sign you are, any creative endeavor involving the new in the areas of beauty enhancements, (i.e. redecorating, home improvements, haircutting/coloring, cosmetic surgery, etc.), tend to not go over well. Have you any already underway or unfinished creative projects, this passage will grant the perfect time to revisit them. Some of the most amazing artistic endeavors can find their way to a harmonious completion under this passage.

Dealings in the financial areas of life are especially wise to delay any major decisions for long-term success until after 31 January 2014, (but remember again Mercury goes Retrograde within days upon 06 February until the 28th, so it’s will definitely be a “tricky” start to 2014). Venus Retrogrades become buyer’s markets, as the victor is the one with the bargain, but they also may not have received the value they actually thought they were getting at the time. Past debts may surface, and these should be addressed. So, if you’ve got a money situation or a lingering legality that needs clearing up, this is a perfect place for focus and solution seeking research.

The Approach and Shadow of Venus Retrograde
Be aware that decisions made as Venus started her approach -on 19 November while going Direct from 13 degrees Capricorn until Retrograde motion begins 21 December- are equally involved in this time of reflection. Once Direct on 31 January, the shadow will prevail until 03 March when Venus returns to 28 degrees Capricorn, offering the opportunity to adjust any important decisions that may have had to be made while in Retrograde. Decisions will be rather challenged as our Universal New Year begins, as our first Mercury Retrograde of 2014 runs 06 to 28 February, and then Mars Retrogrades 01 March to 19 May. As approaches, shadows, and retrogrades will all intersect and overlap, our inner planets will be practically screaming from above to reflect and reassess like we’ve never done so before.

The Cardinal Axis Calling For Restructure
How We Lead In Life Beckons for Change
This Venus Retrograde is quite involved with what else is going on within all of the leadership signs within our Zodiac skies. With Uranus in Aries, Jupiter in Cancer, Mars in Libra, and Pluto in Capricorn, she is in close contact with all of these planets under her time of review, which calls for us all to further recognize just how much the world is changing in dynamic ways. As current transits within our leadership signs have a strong presence to change our direction, the intense calling presses on to wake-up the collective to become more aware of what we’ve thought we’ve understood and have been comfortable with is not what it once was.

By the close of Venus Retrograde, she and Pluto will be in the form a conjunction (same sign, same degree points), as she will be one degree away as Pluto will be at 12 degrees Capricorn. This intensity will unravel quite the surge to bring in some overturns, so expecting transformation is wise to do here. Emotions will be running high, and karmic experiences will be prominent within Capricorn. Let’s put it this way, you’ll see quite the regenerative energy unfolding where The Goat affects your life as Venus stations to go Direct by the close of January.

Uranus will be at 09 degrees Aries, which will cause some tension as a close square forms (90 degree, cornered, blocked in energy) from where The Ram pioneers within our Zodiac skies to Venus’s turn around point. When we look to squares as ways to formulate a new structure rather than view them as stagnant and blocking: use this to tap into some true intuitive gifts that will wish to unexpectedly inspire between the Aries and Capricorn slices of life (the entire calling right now of the ongoing Pluto Uranus Square Dance). Be sure to avoid erratic reactions, for as Venus Retrograde concludes, you may find a difference has displayed itself as far as what your natural routine has been between these two areas of your life.

Abundant Jupiter -also under Retrograde in Cancer- opposes Venus and Pluto, expanding our learning in another reflective tug from across the way at 12 degrees by the time Venus turns herself around. While Venus and Jupiter aspects typically enjoy financial gain, the warning here becomes even stronger to watch extravagance and excess under this period, because the opposing energy between Venus and Jupiter is when they are both in Retrograde passages.  Exactly as Venus goes Direct, Jupiter directly opposes Pluto, promising to unveil further intensity between Cancer and Capricorn involving unfulfilled desires, rebelliousness, arrogance and prodigal experiences.

Motivation from Mars in Libra -who starts the approach to his Retrograde (01 March to 19 May 2014) shortly after Christmas- will be moving earlier in our Venus Retrograde passage, as his direct square occurs upon 16 January to Venus while both planets are at 18 degrees of their respective signs. Demonstrative energies will display themselves between Libra and Capricorn, stimulating that we seek to resolve any inconsistencies between these two areas of our lives, and discover more passionate ways to find the means to more simple pleasures.

Lexigrams and Venus Retrograde
What’s really in a name or title cannot be left out of this retrograde understanding. Whichever planet is actively in RETROGRADE within our Zodiac skies, it’s that necessary time when we are best to surrender, and know we’ve GOT TO REDO, and GO TO A GREAT REORDER. As our romantic and value-loving planet attracts herself to the retrograde title, how apropos the anagrams we find that can be phrased to spell out the real truth of how to reap reward and stay in true tune with her request to revisit how we earn, understand and relate as we return to save our lives.

VENUS RETROGRADE

*GO TO A TRUE TUNE: USE NO EGO TO EARN
*GO TO GO AND UNDERSTAND US, ARTS, REVENUES, AND OUR URGES
*GO AND RESET AVENUES TO EARN NEAR
*GO AND RESET AVENUES TO SAVE NEAR
*GO TO SURE ADVENTURES TO RESTORE
*GOT TO RESTORE DEAR GENEROUS URGES
*GOT TO RETURN TO SAVE, SAVE, SAVE AND SAVE OUR TREASURES
*GOT TO REDO A TRUE TREASURE
*GOT TO GO AND REUSE TO RESTORE
*GOT TO USE A STRONGER URGE TO REVERSE
*GO TO A RETARD TO REROUTE
*GREAT TRADER ENDEAVORS ARE VAGUE- SO DON’T DO ONE!
*TRADERS GO TO RENOVATE SAVED REVENUES
*TRADES ARE TENSE TO DO OVER A VENUS RETRO ERA
*REVENUES ARE TO UNDERGO A REVERSE AND RETURNS
*REVENUES NEAR GREED SEE SEVERE OVERTURNS
*GO TO A SOUND GENEROUS URGE
*GO ON… GO TO NATURE AS ONE SURE SET TO RESTORE
*GO TO A GRANDEST GREEN GROUND, A GARDEN
*GO TEND TO AN OVERDUE REGARD
*GOT TO SURRENDER TO REENTER AND REGROUND
*GO TO NO REGRETS, AND SEND OUT GRAND REGARDS
*TONGUES NEED TO RESONATE A TRUE REASON
*NO GRUNTS NO GROANS, DO NOT GO TO DANGEROUS REVENUE ADVENTURES
*GO ON AN ART ADVENTURE
*GO TO GENERATE AND GREET GRAND GESTURES

Appreciate this time for reassessment where The Goat ambitiously climbs in your Zodiac Pie Dear Stars. Once 31 January 2014 comes to pass, the activity within this area of the life will start to stir and reap goodness within your life unlike any other in quite some time. Remember, what is deserved here comes from the acts of review under the retrograde. So rest and reset now, then happily gather your reward later! Know, the grandeur may not be what you had originally anticipated, but what is meant to become simpler here, is the real value you’ll discover that is a genuine gift you’ve been patiently waiting for.